(In The End) It Doesn't Even Matter
by A. X. Zanier
Summary: Steve Rogers might be a hero, but to some, he's a thorn in their side. So, it shouldn't be any great surprise that hits had been taken out on him. Yet, somehow he's remained completely oblivious... until now.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: The idea for this just randomly popped into my head and was supposed to be a one-off. Instead, its developed into a multi-chapter story with an actual plot.

Sorry about that.

Updates will be somewhat random as I finally started my new job and the work hours are leaving me with little time to, you know, write. While this is mostly MCU-based some comic and Netflix series lore does ooze in. My comic research involves mostly trolling the Marvel wiki pages and adapting the info for my needs.

The title does indeed come from the Linkin Park song and will make sense in the long run.

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 **(In The End) It Doesn't Even Matter**

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"So how many times have you tried to kill me?"

"Hold real still and I won't have to try again," she informed me with a deliberate smirk.

I sighed heavily not having the time or the energy to deal with this… with her right now. "So you set off a bomb in the subway to set up a chance to kill me."

"What? No," she sneered, quite obviously finding the mere suggestion of doing something so crass distasteful. "I simply told no one about it, knowing you would show up to assist once the initial explosion went off. The secondary collapses were not expected. Idiots clearly have no idea what they're doing. The yield on the primary explosion was too high and revealed unexpected weaknesses in the tunnel structure."

"Clearly," I echoed torn between wanting to hit her for not warning anyone what would be coming and being openly amazed and astonished at her nonchalant attitude for anything other than her goal. She'd placed herself in harm's way for a chance to kill me. Guess I couldn't complain about her dedication to her work.

Especially given the gun she currently had casually pointed at my midsection.

She'd arranged to be at the exact spot I entered this underground maze with every intent of aiding the survivors of the first explosion, which meant she'd taken the time to study my patterns. And that… that meant she'd been watching me for a while.

"You intending to finish the job?" I waved my hand in the direction of the weapon she held with every bit of comfort and confidence. "Collect your payday."

She tipped her head to the side eyes narrowing. "Thinking about it, yes. It is my job after all."

Not that I needed the confirmation of her hitman… or would that be hitperson status. "May I propose an alternative option?"

"Sure," she offered magnanimously, "though don't bother suggesting money, you couldn't afford it."

I wanted to argue that point as I imagined Tony would loan me any amount needed were her price to exceed my own savings. "Wouldn't think of it." The muzzle of her gun slid upwards, the angle would place the bullet in my chin and assure an impact somewhere in the vicinity of the lower half of my brain. My armor might be mostly bulletproof, my skin still comparatively fragile and would easily be pierced by the projectile. Tony might have theorized my extended life, but dying of old age not the same as being killed. A well-placed bullet or two might easily end me with little fanfare. "I was thinking more along the lines of a truce."

Her eyes narrowed for an instant as if trying to suss out the lie in my words. "And why would you do that?"

"Because at the moment we are both trapped in here and I suspect working together will get us out faster," I explained. "Besides if you really wanted to collect your reward you'd have shot me already."

She raised the gun her target shifting from chin to eye, and I had little doubt she'd hit dead center at his range. Then she shrugged, flicked on the safety and holstered the weapon. "Sure. I want a twenty-four-hour headstart once we're out though."

I chuckled softly. "Done. Provided…" I let the sentence hang just to gauge her reaction.

"Provided what?" she grumbled.

"You help me rescue those trapped down here."

She just shook her head with a hint of a smile on her lips. "Always the hero. Fine."

I must have twitched at her quick response.

"What? Just because my job involves killing doesn't mean I'm a total asshole. This," she gestured at the extensive rubble from the collapsed tunnels, "was not part of the plan."

Honestly, I figured she wouldn't care about any lives other than her own. I stuck out my hand. "Truce."

"Oh, you are so old school." She grasped my hand firmly in her own. "Truce." She released me and rotated a full circle, looking over everything with a gimlet eye. "Train is that way. Nearest station is that way about a half mile. There's a service tunnel in this section, but the entrance is on the other side of the collapse." She pointed the same direction as the train.

"Possibly blocked by the collapsed roof, though."

She nodded in agreement. "So, make our way back to the station or towards the train full of trapped passengers?"

I doubted I actually needed to answer but did so anyway. "Train." I shifted to take a good look at the wall of debris blocking our route. The dust had mostly cleared out, a fair sign the air intakes still functioned in this section. Still, we were technically trapped, the ceiling having collapsed to either side of us. My team would be making their way down here as well, though they might have pulled back during the secondary explosions. I tapped the comms suspecting it to be dead given the fact I'd heard nothing since the collapse had occurred. "Nat? Clint? Anyone read me?"

She pulled out her phone. "No signal down here. Probably knocked out the wifi relays when the roof came down."

I sighed softly, agreeing with her. Add in the tons of dirt between us and the surface the likelihood of getting a signal out would be slim and none. "All right. My team will assume I'm fine and focus on the getting the trapped out first."

She grinned. "I'm kind of regretting the truce now."

"And why is that?" I asked as I moved towards the pile of rubble we would need to move to get to that train and the passengers trapped inside.

"The perfect opportunity to complete the job and I agreed to not. Silly me." She moved to a few steps away, testing the footing of the broken concrete and loose earth that had spilled down from above.

"You have nothing better to do than shoot at me?"

She snorted. "I've taken other jobs. You… you're a white whale of sorts. Not just for me, but a lot of hitters."

"And yet you keep missing." I pulled out a flashlight to better see. The tunnel lights hadn't gone out by some miracle but also weren't nearly bright enough to truly illuminate the potential routes through of the rockfall. "Hey, you got a name?"

She turned to gaze down at me. "Yes, why?"

I huffed out a breath. "Because I'd prefer to not use 'hey you' all day. And I'm polite."

She snickered. "Yes, you are. Jade. Call me Jade."

Though she showed no hesitation with her response, her 'call me' made it clear the name bore no relationship with the one she'd be given at birth. I would have been extremely surprised if she'd supplied me her real name. The fact that I had seen her face of more importance in my opinion. "All right, Jade. What do you see up there?"

"A way through, maybe." She'd almost reached the top of the rubble, which, even from my position on the floor, appeared to disappear into the void where the collapse had occurred.

I tucked my phone away and made my cautious way up until beside her. Light could be seen through a hole not much larger than a breadbox. I glanced up to see that a slab of concrete had fallen just right to create a plug for this section, leaving the way clear to possibly crawl through to the other side.

If you were an underfed and stubborn cat anyway.

"Maybe we can widen it without bringing the whole thing down on us."

"Maybe." She produced a ponytail holder from somewhere, quickly braided her hair and shoved it down the back of her jacket, which she zipped up tight. The gun I knew to be in a shoulder holster invisible to the naked eye. She took a moment to make certain her footing was solid then planted her hands firmly in the opening and wriggled in.

I grabbed an ankle before it vanished. "Jade, wait."

She didn't kick her booted foot at my face, just shifted enough to look back at me. "Captain, I'm already in here. Let me go. Please."

She had a point. I released her. "Be careful."

Her only response to continue crawling on her belly away from me. The distance no more than a couple yards so it only took a few minutes for her to make it across. "The tunnel is mostly clear. Only minor damage to the roof in this section." She started moving again, twisting so that she could ultimately make her way out feet first. The instant her body no longer blocked the light I heard a yelp and watched her vanish from sight.

"Jade. Jade!" The pile of rubble I stood on shifted under my feet. I launched myself away to the more stable footing of the tracks and waited for the mini-avalanche to settle.

"You alive over there, Rogers?"

I did not heave a sigh of relief to know she'd survived the shifting of the rocks. "Yeah. You good?"

"I'll have some impressive bruises come tomorrow, but nothing to write home about. Your side safe to climb?"

I made my way back over and after a quick inspection of where the rocks had settled, did so with few issues. The gap had actually widened slightly heightwise, the opposite for the width. I could see Jade across from me, what appeared to be blood smeared down her left cheek. I could probably fit through, but it would be tight. That flat slab hadn't shifted in the slightest which suggested it remained secure, the spill of dirt and rocks beside it, however, probably the furthest thing from stable.

"Now or never, Rogers. Unless you trust me to rescue the civilians without you."

The taunting tone more than enough to make my decision an easy one. "Ah, no, but thanks for the offer."

She chuckled and held her position as I hoisted myself into the tight space and began to inch my way forward, back scraping along the rough stone above me. Thank god for body armor, it might get scratched up, but I'd be just fine.

Of course, three-quarters of the way through I got stuck. My belt hooking on a solid upthrusting of stone, manmade or natural it didn't really matter and stopping me cold. "Shit," I groused, wedged in tight.

"Stuck?" she asked trying in vain to hide her amusement.

"Yes, damn it." I planted my hands and tried to force my way past the obstruction. I stopped quickly when dirt began to spill down along my left side. "Some help here."

"And why would I do that? So long as I have proof I'll get paid."

"Truce," I snarled.

"I agreed to not kill you. Said nothing about sitting back and watching."

"You also agreed to help me save those on the train."

I could see her thinking it over. Thankfully, not for long. "Fair enough. Scoot back and rotate your hips until you're loose. Don't get caught when you start moving again."

Considering I had planned to do that exact thing I groused, "Really. Never would have thought of that."

She snorted, eyebrows bouncing upwards. "Well, hurry up then would ya."

I unhooked myself from the outcropping and had begun to scoot forward when everything about me began to shudder and shift, sending dirt and debris tumbling down atop me from my left.

Jade permitted a small _eep_ of surprise to escape but recovered quickly, adjusting her footing until secure on her side. She reached out toward me. "Move it, Rogers, I doubt even the serum can protect you if that chooses to come down." She glanced upwards at the slab of concrete above my head.

I didn't argue, not particularly interested in discovering that out either. I suspected that being flattened into a smear of jelly would inhibit my saving the world schtick. I grasped her hand and she pulled, managing to heave me forward a fair distance, much to my bewilderment.

I got a solid hold with my foot and shoved, my back scraping along the slab above. This time I didn't get caught on anything and within moments found myself standing on the tracks on the far side. Just in time too as the loose scree finally collapsed, descending down at our feet and filling the gap we'd just managed to get through. "Another explosion?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Probably another collapse."

"Which means this whole area is unstable."

"Most likely," she agreed, sounding almost sprightly about it. "Train shouldn't be too far ahead, we can check if the service tunnel is clear on the way."

She turned to take the lead, but I reached out and set a hand on her shoulder. "Hold up, you're hurt."

She shook off my hand. "I've had worse, trust me." She gave me the once-over. "You need me to put band-aids on your boo-boos before we move on?"

"Ah no." Hint taken. She could and would take care of herself. "You first, Jade."

"Don't want me behind you?"

"Uh, I usually take the rear," I explained, but shifted to walk beside her to show her that while trust might not exist I'd honor both the spirit and letter of the truce. "So, when was the first time you tried to kill me?"

Her head snapped about as if in shock I had asked. "D.C. You like riding your bike without a helmet."

I'd had only one accident when on my motorcycle in DC. "You wanted to make it look like an accident by blowing out my tire." I'd gone down hard on the highway while going well over the speed limit. "That… that was one hell of a shot. But why not go for the head, after all, I wasn't wearing a helmet."

"Hard to identify a body with a hole punched through the face."

I grunted as if kicked. "Well, that was graphic."

She shrugged. "You asked." She trotted off to her left. "The service door." She grasped the knob, which turned, but the door refused to budge.

I joined her. "Looks like the frame shifted during one of the explosions. Let me–" I didn't get a chance to finish before she put her shoulder to the door and shoved just once. The door squealing across the concrete floor even as the frame popped, a noticeable kink forming in the metal now that the door's support had been removed.

The door wedged open with more than enough space to enter, however, the lighting appeared to have failed. She produced a flashlight from somewhere and shined it about. "Looks good. Some minor debris and power loss, but otherwise clear."

"You thinking we get everyone out through here?" I poked my head in and agreed with her assessment. If there were any collapses they would out of the range of her light, but considering the slight breeze, signaling airflow suspected the way was indeed clear.

"It should work, it's how I got in."

Well, that explained a few things. Not that I'd figured she'd come in on the train and risk being trapped in the explosions she knew to be coming. I attempted to move the door, finding it firmly stuck in place. Oh, I could have shifted it with a bit of effort, but I had an excess of strength.

Cleary she was something more than your typical hired hitman.

I then heard voices in the direction she claimed the train had stopped. Her head turned as well though she should not have been able to detect the noises.

"Time to get to work," she said with a grin as she moved towards the sound.

"Such enthusiasm," I muttered.

"Come on, now, Captain America, isn't this what you live for, saving the day?"

The sarcasm dripping from her words told me exactly what she thought of my chosen profession. "Not many other options for a super soldier," I pointed out.

"Because you were nothing before," she sneered.

Whatever she might have said next cut off when we came around the bend to find a dozen or so people trying to remove a pile of rubble that had come down on the end of the train, blocking the emergency exit out of the rear car. One fairly large slab seemed to be holding the whole mess in place. The people who'd been on the train were trying with some desperation to displace it with little success.

I spotted the conductor, the MTA uniform torn and dirty, and headed for him. "How many still trapped inside?"

He spun about, eyes going wide, which meant I'd startled the poor man. "Cap… Captain America?" His eyes flicked over to Jade who had stepped past me to take a closer look at the pile of rubble then back to me.

"Yes, sir. How many inside?" I asked again, hoping to get something coherent out of him.

"Dozens. I'd only just begun getting them out when the roof collapsed."

The group swarmed closer, wailing the need to rescue children, friends, loved ones still trapped in the cars.

"Easy folks, we'll get them out." I raised my hands to get their attention. "Does anyone have a signal?"

The MTA agent shook his head. "We're in a black hole in this section."

It had been a faint hope, but still, the question had the effect of calming the building hysteria for the moment.

"Captain, if we shift the big slab the rest should come down on its own."

I turned to see Jade standing on the rear car; this section of the tunnel one of those with the high arching brick and mortar roof. Probably part of the original system repurposed for the new one. Modern tunnels had much less clearance. "Is the roof stable?"

"Ish. I can see pipes about ten feet above me." She pulled out her flash and shined it over her head. "Looks like power conduits for the lighting. Should hold unless there's another explosion."

"Then let's not waste any time." I looked over the crowd. "All right folks, let's move back around the curve–"

"But we want to help," a young man built like a linebacker stated in a near-insistent voice.

"And you will after I've gotten the door cleared. Until then, I would prefer all of you remained safe."

He frowned but nodded in reluctant agreement. He led the group, the MTA driver taking the rear to make certain everyone had been herded a safe distance before we risked bringing the roof down.

I made my way to the train, the clearance on either side blocked so I could not easily communicate with those inside. "Jade, can you get them to move away from the door. Maybe even into the next car just in case?"

"Gotcha." She walked down the roof of the car away from me then dropped. I heard banging on the metal of the car and muffled voices from within. She must have been hanging down the side of the train and communicating through the window. It only took a couple minutes before she reappeared. "Done. They seemed thrilled to know they rated a rescue by Captain America himself."

"My whole team is here," I reminded.

"No, they are not." She raised a hand when I tried to argue. "Yes, they're somewhere nearby working on this, but they are not here and that's what these people will remember at the end of the day. Saved by Steve Rogers. Oooo, now that's a marketing idea. 'I was saved by Steve Rogers and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.' " She snickered when I rolled my eyes.

"I'll suggest it to Tony, he'll love the idea." I only added enough sarcasm to be certain she could hear it.

She grinned. "Get up here. If we shift this one I think it'll take the rest out. Just need to get the angle right."

I took all due care climbing up but, aside from some small pieces breaking loose, nothing shifted, meaning it had remained fairly solid once it had settled into place. Not good. This would actually take some effort.

I stood next to Jade, scouting the pile below us. The one big slab stuck up past the top of the train enough to get a grip on, if barely. "Push and twist to the left."

She nodded. "That's what I was seeing. Should take out most of the rest. We should be able to easily clear out the remainder from the ground."

Observant too. I knew nothing about this woman other than she wanted to kill me and here I was trusting her with the lives of those in need of rescue. Perhaps not one of my better ideas, but we'd come this far, might as well push through to the end.

I got down on my knees to get a better grip on the section of brick and mortar roof and shoved to gauge how much effort would actually be required to pull this off. It barely budged, so a lot.

I planted my feet and put in some real effort, the section coming off the train a few inches before my feet slipped and it thudded back into a place.

Jade got down beside me.

"Uh, what do you think you're doing?"

"Helping. Or did you think I climbed up here to watch and take selfies with you in the background?"

I wanted to argue, but the determined look on her face meant it would be a waste of time. "All right. On three. One. Two. Three."

This time the slab moved forward a fair foot before it stopped. With me, to the right side, I shifted the angle in hopes of getting it to rotate the direction we wanted. Instead, the section under my hands crumbled causing me to tip forward and barely catch myself on the edge of the train in time and not fall face first onto the tracks below. "Fuck."

Jade grunted, somehow managing to lock her legs and hold the damn thing in place while I scrambled back to get out of the way. "I got this, think you can pull it from below?"

I wanted to question exactly how she had managed to hold the slab of roof in place, but it wasn't the time.

"Let's find out." I jumped from the train to land well clear of the pile of debris, but wasted no time, rushing to get my hands around the edge of the slab and heaving in the direction we needed it to go. At first, it didn't budge, the weight perhaps too much for even the two of us. "Can you…"

A growl emanated from her then the whole section shifted forward just enough to loosen whatever it had wedged against. I pulled and it conveniently twisted in the correct direction. She gave another shove and the entire thing toppled over, falling clear of the train as I hopped to the side. A tremendous crash followed by dust and debris kicking up into the air. Thankfully the ventilation system still worked, clearing out the cloud with swift efficiency.

"Is everything all right?"

I spun about to see the MTA employee with the entire group behind him staring hopefully at me. I glanced back over my shoulder to see the worst of the debris had indeed been tumbled out of the way. We still had some clearing to do, but not all that much. It would not take long to free those trapped inside. Jade sat on the end of the car, legs dangling down and appearing satisfied with the results.

I had about a thousand questions I wanted… needed to ask, but they would hold for a later time.

"I'll let them know we had some success if you'll work on digging the exit out, yes?"

I nodded. "Works."

With the whole group working together we had the door cleared and everyone out in no time at all. The brakeman and I walked the entire train to make certain everyone had been accounted for. Getting them to and through the service tunnel comparatively uneventful as everyone had cellphones with flashlights, which meant the pitch dark tunnel ended up being quite well lit.

We arrived at the station in due course to be greeted by EMTs and other rescue workers all about to head into the tunnel to assess the damage and rescue anyone trapped within.

All of our cells began pinging and binging as signal returned. I tapped my comms. "Sit-rep."

" _Cap_ ," I got instantly from Nat. " _Where the hell have you been? Are you all right_?"

"Fine. Got everyone out with only minor injuries. No signal in the tunnel is all." I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Jade standing out of the flow of people her gun drawn and pointed at my midsection. "Nat, I'm at the Fifth Avenue–59th Street station. I'll meet you topside in fifteen to regroup."

If she responded I didn't notice as I tapped the comms cutting her off. "I agreed to give you a head start."

She tipped her head to the side. "Which I do appreciate. That said, you didn't ask for one so… I still have a job to do."

I huffed out a breath. "Which you aren't going to finish now, so you might as well put the gun away."

"You think you know me so well after a couple of hours?"

I didn't know her at all and yet… "No, I think you have a sense of honor though."

She grinned, the glint in her eye dangerous instead of cheerful. "You willing to bet your life on that?"

I took a couple steps towards her, the gun never wavering from my midsection which would hurt but definitely not kill me given the kevlar I wore. "Yes."

"Captain," one of the EMTs called and I turned my head towards the sound.

When I turned back Jade had vanished, most likely back into the service tunnel.

I jogged over to the man who had called, not more than the tiniest bit concerned that a bullet might impact my back.

 **. . . . .**

I had to wait two days before mentioning I'd run into my personal assassin. The damage to the subway tunnels had been impressive and we'd done our part to make certain everyone had been either rescued or their bodies recovered. Less than a dozen had died, still far too many in all our minds, but we'd done our part to assist the first responders until it had become plain we were no longer needed. Repairs were not in our job description though Tony generously offered to assist if the city's budget could not handle the disaster.

"You what?" Clint questioned sounding only a touch astonished.

"I met my hitman," I repeated as I kept working on the sketchpad before me. "She helped me rescue a train full of trapped passengers."

Tony swiped a hand over his face. "And we're just hearing about this now, why?"

"Well, I promised to give her a twenty-four-hour head start and we've been busy," I explained though none of them seemed to like that answer.

"And it didn't cross your mind at any point to just arrest her?" Nat questioned, one eyebrow rising high on her forehead.

"I gave her my word."

"Of course you did," she muttered. Then she grabbed a tablet and got to work, most likely trying to track down my assailant to be. "Any chance you got a pic of her?"

I shook my head and continued to draw, working on the next best thing. "Height about five six, five eight with the boots she wore. Dark hair, almost black, but could have been dyed I suppose. Eyes were blue but again could have been fake. Build similar to yours," I nodded to Nat, "and strong as hell."

"What do you mean by that?" Tony asked.

"Exactly what I said. I suspect she's been enhanced. Uh, at a wild guess, a similar rating to Miss Jones." Yes, we kept a database of other enhanced individuals. Mostly for possible recruitment, but also as potential threats. Miss Jones seemed to mostly want to keep to herself and run her business in peace. In fact, New York seemed to have a surfeit of enhanced heroes and while we watched we didn't interfere. The Avengers generally had more global concerns.

"Age?" Nat asked, obviously going through our extensive database in an effort to identify her.

"Mid-twenties, though if she is enhanced she could be far older." My own enhanced ass being a prime example of that.

Clint narrowed his eyes. "Could she be a Hydra leftover?"

"Possibly? Though I got the distinct impression she's currently freelance. She had me call her Jade."

" _As in Mara Jade_?" JARVIS questioned.

Clint snorted. "Oh, that would be priceless." At my obvious lack of understanding, he added. "Spin-off Star Wars books. Mara Jade was an assassin hired to kill Luke Skywalker."

I made an ' _ah_ ' of understanding. I'd seen the movies but had not yet delved into the dozens upon dozens of novels that had been written based on the characters.

Tony stepped up behind me. "Luke eventually turned her to the light and married her."

"I think I can manage to avoid that," I muttered. Though the idea of turning her the way Clint had Natasha didn't seem like a half bad plan. If we could figure out who she was.

"Too many fitting that vague description, Rogers. Why didn't you snap a picture?" Nat complained.

"Had other things on my mind," I told her, concentrating on finishing the drawing.

Tony leaned over my shoulder, the scent of scotch emanating from him. "What are you working on… Oh. Nat, you won't need a pic. Give him fifteen minutes or so."

They waited impatiently for me to finish, Tony snatching the sketchbook from my hands the instant I did.

"JARVIS this enough to do facial rec?" He held it up for the room and the AI to see.

" _It should be. Scanning now_."

Within seconds the image had been delivered to Nat's computer. "Got it. Running facial rec on the CCTV footage going back two hours prior and post."

"She really said she'd tried to kill you?" Clint sounded truly curious.

"Several times supposedly and I have no reason to doubt her."

"Any chance she could be one of yours?" Clint asked of Nat.

She lifted her head from the tablet running the search. "Red Room? Possible, but Russia's not the only country with that type of program. She have an accent?"

I shook my head. "Exact opposite, in fact."

"Generic American voice number three," Tony intoned, causing Nat to snort in amusement.

"This is weird," Nat muttered.

I had a sinking feeling we'd struck out on tracking her down. "What's wrong?"

"She's not here. Any chance she can turn invisible?"

I chuckled. "Well, I didn't see her do so."

Clint laughed. "Could she have avoided all the cameras?"

Nat shook her head. "No. Thanks to Steve we have at least one instance where we know exactly where she is and the camera saw nothing. And before you say the recordings could have been damaged, I've already checked the timestamps, it's continuous." She rotated the tablet about.

I recognized the setting. She, Jade, should have been standing in the entranceway to the service tunnel, which had its own camera placement right above the door. You could even see me speaking to someone and yet where she should be was nothing. Just the wall and doorway. "Unless I got knocked upside the head and imagined the whole thing she should be right there."

"She made herself into a blind spot," Tony stated. "Probably wrote a macro that tells the system to ignore her. So yeah you could say she's invisible."

"I'll reach out to some of my contacts, see if I can put a real name to the face," Nat offered.

"Do it. I doubt I'm the only one on her personal hit list." Even if she hadn't fired on me in the end, she'd made no bones about the fact that she had killed others. My phone pinged then, the pop up informing me I had an email from one jadedandbored. Intrigued I took the bait and opened it.

The email itself short and to the point. Just in case you want to prevent the next bomb from going off. Followed with a set of coordinates and pictures. "Nat, did they figure out who the bombers were?"

She shook her head. "No. No one took responsibility for it, why?"

I turned my phone about to show her. "Looks like my assassin did."

Tony grabbed my phone from my hands. "No way this can be real. JARVIS."

" _Yes, sir. Searching now._ "

"Well," Nat prompted after only a couple of minutes.

" _See for yourself, Miss Romanov._ "

The tablet lit up and she whistled. "Your girl is good. This appears to be legit and Interpol has been after these guys for years."

"So she's an assassin who turns in bad guys?" Clint queried with the same confusion in his voice that I currently experienced. "Isn't that kinda against the bad guy code of thou shalt not be a stool pigeon?"

"How would I know?" I met Nat's eyes, the question unstated in mine.

"Oh, no, I am not getting in the middle of this." She managed a sly grin for me. "Shall I pass this on to the relevant authorities?"

Tony clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Hell no. We'll handle this. Wouldn't want to disappoint your girlfriend after all."

I instantly protested. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Yet," Tony reminded.

That earned a round of snickers from the others.

I gave up right then. I knew the jokes and needling would only get worse the longer I protested. I stood. "Suit up. Time to got to work."


	2. Chapter 2

"We have got to stop meeting like this."

I'd gotten my hand up just barely in time, the wire of the garrote cutting into the leather of my jacket sleeve. She'd planted her body in such a way that she had the advantage of leverage and there were no conveniently placed walls or trees to slam her into and loosen her hold.

"Agreed," I growled, reaching back with my free hand in another attempt to get a purchase on any part of her. Once again I failed as she tightened her grip enough for the wire to cut into the side of my neck deep enough to draw blood. Since going backward hadn't been successful I shifted, wanting to make certain I had a solid hold on the thin metal when I tried this possibly foolish move.

I staggered back two steps, planted my feet then folded at the waist, flipping her over my head. She should have ended up flat on her back on the ground before me. Her reflexes were better than I expected though. She rotated, agile as a cat, and landed on her feet in a crouch, hands still holding onto the garrote, which had twisted about my right wrist.

We stood there at an impasse, the wire cutting through the leather as she continued to pull, tightening the loop about my wrist, her leaning back and actually making me have to work to curl my arm and drag her towards me. To give her credit she didn't panic as her booted feet slid across the damp grass until close enough for me to grasp her wrist.

"Let go or I will break it."

For an instant she resisted, the wire digging deeper into my arm, I quickly countered by rotating my hand and adding pressure that caused the bones in her wrist to rub against each other in what surely could not be a pleasant manner. She grimaced then opened both hands, the garrotte loosening instantly. "Fine," she groused.

I didn't release her, just relaxed my hold slightly. "And don't go for your gun," She adjusted her stance slightly and I added, "or knife."

"Way to kill the mood, Rogers." She straightened slowly, hands coming up and open to show her intention of cooperating for the moment.

"Says the one who just tried to kill me." I carefully unwrapped the garrotte from around my wrist and tossed it away. She'd changed her appearance since we'd last met in person. The dark hair now lighter, dark blonde, light brown take your pick. Her eyes had changed as well, now a deep dark brown instead of the blue I'd expected, which firmed up my belief that searching for her based on features would be useless.

She grinned. "My point exactly."

It had been months since our last encounter and I certainly hadn't expected to see her here in London. I kept my trips to see Peggy private. I mean some of my teammates surely knew I visited her, but it had never been a specific topic of conversation. And while I did visit as often as I could manage it had never been on a set schedule. "You've been stalking me?"

She shook her head. "That word comes with a certain connotation that definitely does not apply here. That said, you have become a tad difficult to access now that you've moved into your new home."

That meant she knew I'd relocated from the Tower to the Compound. "You didn't get the hint the last time we met, did you?"

"There was a hint?" She shrugged. "I've got my job. You've got yours. That's how it is."

"You flew all the way here just to mug me in a park?" I had to admit to being a little impressed.

"What? No. I'd just finished up another job when I got an alert that you were visiting your-"

I shot her a warning glare, the muscles in my jaw popping.

"- friend. You always walk through this park afterward." She lowered her hands, making certain to keep them in view and not go for any of her weapons. "I simply took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. Sadly, I didn't have any long-range weaponry with me else I'd've gone for that headshot."

Christ, could the woman be any more cavalier about killing people? "Was your trip... successful?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Let's just say I found myself with some free time after achieving my goals."

That sounded like a yes to me. I surged forward and grabbed her left arm, expertly twisting it behind her back. She didn't resist the least bit. "I am taking you in."

She laughed out loud. "Into where? Last I checked the Avengers don't police anything. They just shoot robots and drop cities out of the sky."

I clenched my jaw again. "Why is it no one remembers that the robots wanted to commit genocide?"

"Maybe it's because you were the idiots who created the robot?" She added in a _hmmm_ at the end for the full irritating effect.

Still, I couldn't exactly argue that she was wrong. Tony and Bruce had played with something they hadn't understood in the least and it had quite literally blown up in our faces. And now Bruce had vanished and Tony hid in his lab and barely spoke to the rest of us. He'd fucked up royally while trying to do the right thing and even with the creation of Vision as a counterpoint all of us still kind of blamed him.

"Not the point," I argued, at least somewhat annoyed that she successfully baited me. "I'm sure Interpol wouldn't mind the present."

She spun about getting out of the hold with surprising ease though I did manage to retain my grip on her forearm. "Why would they care?"

I took a mental pause at that. She seemed to be suggesting that should I drag her into the local constabulary of any stripe that they would have no interest in her. Could it be possible? Could an admitted killer really have gone unnoticed for potentially years?

Guess I could find out, but I suspected it would be a waste of my time. And given my encounter with the legend my friend Bucky had become, knew a really good assassin could go unidentified for decades. Nat had discovered nothing on her in the months since our last encounter, but it had also been pushed to the back burner of the to-do list. As Jade had so pointedly reminded me we didn't do police work or track down mundane criminals.

Still, I found it difficult to just let her go knowing she would inevitably kill someone else. I released her and took a step back, prepared to see her bolt away into the evening. Much to my surprise, she did nothing more than straighten.

"You thought it through that quickly. I'm suitably impressed." She moved off toward the bushes and retrieved the garrotte which she coiled and stuffed into a pocket. "Care for a cup of tea, Captain?"

"Why? It's not like we're friends."

"Why not? I've got a couple hours to kill until I leave and your transport will remain hidden until you need it. So, I ask again, Captain, care for a cup of tea?"

I just stared at her for a long moment then mentally threw up my hands in confused defeat. "Sure, why not." I might actually learn something about her of actual use. Like her real name.

She led the way to a nearby tea parlor and waited until we'd settled into our plush seats before speaking. "Is she doing well?"

It dawned on me there and then that she knew precisely who I'd been visiting. "No. We are not friends and you do not get to ask me about my personal life. Especially _her_."

She shifted slightly eyes narrowing at the harsh tone I'd used. "Right, because you are not going to use this opportunity to ask probing question about me."

"Of course I am. I know nothing about you other than you claim to kill people for a living. The name you gave me is obviously a fake and you have managed to remain a complete enigma to not just myself but every agency out there." As soon as I completed the hushed rant I realized I'd given away far too much information. Thankfully she didn't appear smug about it, just kept a bland expression on her face the entire time.

Any response she might have had put on hold as our server arrived with what had to be the most elaborate tea set I had ever seen and proceeded to set it up as well as the scones and clotted cream. She deferred to Jade for cues. "Shall I pour?"

Jade nodded. "Lemon for myself, cream for the gentleman."

She did so with the swift efficiency of long practice.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she knew how I took my tea. Not that I drank tea all that often, which... I managed to hold my tongue until the nice lady had left. "You will leave Peggy out of this."

She lifted her cup of tea and leaned back in her seat. "But she'll make a perfect pressure point. I don't think there isn't anything you wouldn't do to protect her."

I clenched my jaw. If it weren't for the fact we were in a public place I would have throttled her right then and there. "What do you want?" I growled.

"Want? What could I possibly want from you other than proof of your demise at my hand?" She kept her tone sweet and innocent so as not to make those near us, who could possibly overhear, suspicious.

Somehow I kept forgetting that this woman cared for nothing more than her payday. For an instant, I had to wonder if she'd cared about anything or anyone ever during her life. I suspected the answer to be a straight up _no_. So if she couldn't be persuaded with threats perhaps, in this instance, throwing money at the problem might just solve it. "How much?"

She blinked as he picked up a scone and transferred it to the tiny plate in front of her. "How much what?"

"How much to leave Peg- my friend alone?"

She picked at the scone, pulling small pieces off and popping them into her mouth as she pondered my question. "You think I can be bought?"

"That's the way it works, isn't it? People give you money and you do _things_." At this point, I'd be willing to hand deliver her to the Raft and shove her into the deepest pit of a cell they had no matter that I didn't really agree with their preference of skipping the whole trial by one's peers before locking them away, but I had a reasonable certainty they'd be able to keep her incarcerated long enough to protect me and mine.

"Something like that, yes."

She almost sounded disappointed in me, which didn't make a whole lot of sense given she'd basically just threatened to blackmail me with Peggy. I sat there in silence perfectly capable of waiting her out.

She sighed softly. "My price is simple: ask. Nicely."

My brows knit in confusion, absolutely sure that there must be a trick to what she asked for as payment. "What?"

She huffed out a breath of irritation. "Those are my terms for the deal. Just... ask."

I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak. "Will you leave my friend out of this. No threats. No blackmail. No creative persuasion to get me to do what you want. Please."

The left corner of her lip twitched slightly, her eyes giving lie to the amusement her facade of stoicism tried to contain. "Of course," she agreed magnanimously. "Now was that so difficult?"

"You have no idea," I muttered earning another brow raise for my troubles. I sipped at my tea, which I found to be quite flavorful, not like the crappy tea in bags we used back home and tried to wrap my head around her sudden humanity. "How do I know you'll keep your word?"

She frowned. "If you would like this particular deal in writing I will do so, or you could simply trust me as I did with you the last time we met."

I snorted. "Trust you? With what you do for a living?"

"Just because my job involves killing people doesn't mean I can't be honorable," she argued and I had to resist the urge to laugh outright at her.

"Uh, that is kind of the definition of those you shouldn't trust."

She shot me an unreadable look. "Did you or did you not blow three Insight helicarriers out of the sky a few years ago, all of which were staffed with hundreds of people many of whom died when they crashed into the Potomac?"

"They were Hydra," I instantly responded with, "and I did it for the greater good."

She cocked her head slightly. "And you presume that what I do is not for the same purpose. How very judgemental of you." She actually sounded disappointed in me, and I had to admit she did have a point.

I did not know enough about her and her motivations and had simply presumed the worst. "So prove me wrong. Tell me who hired you to kill me?"

She snorted into her tea. "No one. I told you, there's any number of offers on the table that I could potentially collect. You... you're a hobby of sorts. A challenge. I've gotten closer to you than pretty much anyone else. You just happen to be extremely tough to kill."

So blunt it almost surprised me. "Should I be honored you've taken the time to shoot at me more than once?"

"It'd be kind of weird, but sure if that's what floats your boat."

I scowled at how she made light of my potential death. "You know I have to stop you."

"I know you have to try, which I do respect. We weren't supposed to meet in person though I must admit I find it a refreshing change from my far more anonymous business arrangements."

"Aren't you concerned you might come to like me?"

She smiled. "It's never been a problem before."

Oof. The implication she had killed one she'd considered a friend already. That could potentially be a clue as to who she was, but without a reference point, I still lacked the means to discover it. I took a few moments to sip my tea while pondering just how the hell I could convince her to perhaps consider another line of work.

The pleasant heat of the parlor had settled in enough for me to want to remove my jacket. As I tugged the right sleeve I had to acknowledge it had been completely destroyed, the sleeve sliced through on one side thanks to the garrotte.

"You might want to clean up before taking that off." She gestured at my neck.

I ran my fingers along the left side, my fingers coming away covered in mostly dried blood. The collar of the jacket must have hidden it from direct sight, else the older woman would have said something when she'd waited on us. "You couldn't have mentioned it sooner?"

"You would have let me be out of your sight?"

A good point. "I'll be right back." I stood and headed for the restroom to clean up.

There I discovered the shirt had also been ruined, the collar red with blood that would probably never be removed. I cleaned off what blood I could and examined the shallow cut the wire had left in my skin. I doubted it would leave a scar or be visible within a day or two at most. I couldn't understand why I permitted her to remain free. Just the threat of her trying to kill me again should have been enough to make me want to remove her from the board. Instead, I had tea with her. Apparently, I saw something beyond the killer exterior to the person beneath. Either that or my perceptions of assassins had been completely warped by the discovery that my best friend had been turned into an unwitting one.

I dried off my face and neck, put the jacket back on to hide the bloody shirt and went back to the table to discover her gone.

Guess I shouldn't have been surprised, yet I stood there like a forlorn idiot as if my date had ditched me.

"Sir, she asked me to give you this."

The woman who had served us handed me an envelope. "Thank you." I dug into my pocket for my wallet.

"The bill has been paid, sir. Feel free to enjoy the rest of the tea and pastries. No rush." She smiled at me before strolling away to assist a couple at another table.

I settled back into my seat, the envelope oddly heavy in my hand. I drank my tea and ate an entire scone before opening it.

Inside I found a note and what looked like a coin, but not from any currency I recognized.

 _Leave this near your friend and she will remain off limits to all._

I could only wonder how a simple coin could protect Peggy from this mysterious _all_ Jade had written about. Of course, it might be useful if I had any idea who _they_ were.

I finished the tea. Left an additional tip then headed for the quinjet and home.

. . . . .

"Clint, get over here and tell me this is what I think it is?"

The archer in question grunted and, with gigantic coffee cup in hand, shuffled his way over to Nat who held the coin I'd been given from Jade in hand.

He leaned over her shoulder slurping the coffee as he did so. I watched his eyes go from still semi-conscious and sleepy to wide in an instant. He snatched the coin from her hand as he straightened nearly slopping coffee out of the mug with his sudden movement. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"Jade gave it to me." As concisely as possible, I related what had happened the day-ish before. "Her note implied that Peggy would be safe if she had that," I waved at the coin, "nearby."

"Uh, yeah," Clint muttered, still staring at the coin in his palm. "This is basically a get out of death free card from assassins."

"A what?" Yeah, I knew Jade claimed to be an assassin, but so could anyone, really. Just needed the means and the will to kill others for money.

"How did you get this?" Nat questioned as she took the coin back from Clint. "These are beyond rare."

I scratched the back of my head in consternation. "I, uh, asked?"

Clint whistled. "Steve's got a girlfriend," he singsonged.

I had no interest in biting on that hook so I ignored it. "What makes that coin so special?"

Nat shot an unreadable look my way. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head.

She glanced over at Clint who shrugged. "That's an Assassin's Guild coin. One of the European clans based on the sigils. I'd have to do some digging to figure out which one."

"And how would you know that?" I questioned, still not certain I believed any of this to be real.

He headed back to the kitchen to refresh his cup o'joe. "Because, once upon a time, they tried to recruit me."

That earned an eyebrow raise from me.

"Hey, I wasn't always the upstanding citizen I am today, okay?" He didn't sound the least bit guilty over what he may or may not have done in his misspent youth.

"So are we talking Assassin's Creed here or something else?" That got me snickers from both of them.

"Yes and no," Nat finally answered. "They have nothing to do with the Templars. It is literally a closed group who trains recruits from a young age how to be assassins. They have money, power and these days, tech like few others."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Ever seen the John Wick movies?" Clint asked.

"Yeah. Sam talked me into it." That's when the lightbulb hit. "You're serious?"

"Very. That portrayal is not a hundred percent accurate, but close enough that..." Nat trailed off when Clint cleared his throat. Loudly.

"Clint?"

"Let's just say there have been rumors a former guild member paid dearly for selling his story to Hollywood, okay?"

Which implied the depictions in the movie to be close enough to the reality to cause repercussions within the actual guild. "Next you'll be telling me there's Thieves' Guild."

They shared a look that spoke volumes.

I decided to drop that hot potato and took them at their word for now. "So, why is that coin so valuable?"

"Because it will tell anyone who might do something to Peggy that she's under Jade's personal protection," Clint explained.

I must have stood there looking like an idiot so Nat added, "Jade will remove, with prejudice, anyone who might even _think_ of harming Peggy."

"Is that a big deal?"

That glance again.

"Uh, yeah," Nat answered.

"Beyond a big deal," Clint added. "Those coins are worth your weight in diamonds."

"Vibranium," Nat corrected.

I found that hard to believe but didn't argue as the two of them obviously knew far more than I did on the subject. Time for me to learn, I supposed. "Can we use it to find her? Find Jade?"

"Should. I can make some discreet inquiries. Clint?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I've still got some contacts in the Guild. Ones who owe me favors."

Nat cracked her knuckles. "Time to troll the dark web see who's in the game these days." She tossed the coin back to me and I stuffed it in my pocket. "Get that to Peggy soonest. If Jade figured out the connection others could too."

I hadn't really thought about Peggy being in danger. I mean, she wasn't in the game any longer. Her health waning in her later years, as had her short-term memory. Oh, she knew me but had lost track of conversations part way through. Every single damn time she realized I had survived and come back to her shattered my heart just a tiny bit more. Nat had a point though, she could easily be used against me. If Jade had figured that out it wouldn't be difficult for others to do so as well. "I'll have it delivered ASAP then."

"What's the priority on this?" Nat waited patiently for me to respond.

"Low. Extremely low." They both gave me the side eye. "It's not. Not really. If you, either of you, have spare time to work on this I'd appreciate it, but this is personal not Avenger's business, so..."

"So as soon as possible, gotcha," Clint gave me a wink and poured himself yet more coffee. "I've got training classes with noobs, but I'll start shaking trees after that."

"Clint-" I tried.

"Cap, she's actively trying to kill you. It's kinda in all of our best interest to stop her." He shrugged. "Just sayin'."

Okay, so he had a point. I still didn't want them wasting any more time than necessary on my problem. However, they were the ones with the contacts and not me so relying on them had become a must. I debated admonishing them but instead just said, "Thank you."

"Welcome. Don't you have a meeting with Hill in like... now?" Nat hadn't even looked away from the computer her fingers flying over the keys as she did her tech thing.

I looked at my watch. "Shit. Flight training later, yes?"

"Yes. Now run. You know she doesn't like it when you're late."

I gave her a grin and bolted from the room.

. . . . .

"I come bearing gifts."

I lifted my head to see Tony carrying a fair sized package with bright yellow DHL labels all over it.

I grabbed a towel and wiped the worst of the sweat away. "When did you get in?"

"Nowish." He held out the package and I took it from him with what must have been a bemused expression on my face. "Since when do you have a secret admirer?"

"I don't." My brows knit as I read the return address, which lacked a name. Just a street address in Rome. I didn't know anyone in Italy, never mind Rome.

"Well, open it. Let's find out who's sweet on you."

I sighed but tugged the strip that unsealed what turned out to be an outer box. The inner one I slid out to reveal a decently heavy clothing box.

Tony sucked in a surprised breath. "That's a Valentino."

"A what?" I asked as I tossed the DHL box aside to wrangle the fancy black box that did indeed have the name Valentino stamped onto it in gold letters. "So?"

He waved a hand. "Open it, then I might explain, you heathen."

I snorted and did so. Tissue paper hid the contents but the scent of leather drifted up to my nose. I parted the paper to find an envelope. Tired of juggling I set the box bits down on the bench. After setting the card aside I parted the tissue to discover a leather bomber jacket, which I pulled out. It unfolded neatly sending the scent of buttery soft leather wafting about us.

"Rogers, if you don't want your sugar daddy I'll take 'em." Tony actually sounded in awe.

"It's just a coat, Tony."

He huffed in clear disappointment of me. "That's a Valentino. That _coat_ probably cost over five k."

I froze for an instant. "What?" I suddenly worried that the sweat would permanently mar the buttery soft leather I held in my hands. The look of what might have been terror on my face caused Tony to chuckle and gently take the coat from my nerveless grip.

"Who's it from?" He nodded towards the envelope I'd set aside.

I picked up then opened the envelope to find a card inside. I flipped it open and read the short note. _'To replace the one I ruined.'_

Not signed, but obvious who it had come from. "Uh, it's not a secret admirer."

"No? Then who?"

"My assassin. The jacket I wore during our last encounter didn't fare so well against her garrotte."

Tony's eyes went wide. "Well, at least she has good taste in leather." He handed the jacket to me. "You might want to sic Nat on her."

"Already done, there just isn't much to go on, yet." I carefully folded the jacket and set it back in the box. "I'm sure she'll make another appearance."

"Maybe you should just ask her out on a date."

I would have choked on my water had I been drinking any. "I'm reasonably certain I'm worth more to her as a payday."

Tony snorted. "Still, it couldn't hurt to be nice to her. Might save your ass one day."

That particular point I refused to argue. "Might also make it easier for her to get to me." I shook my head not understanding how this had come about. Having enemies I got, someone wanting to kill me just to collect a payday. Nope. I couldn't wrap my head around that one. "We still on for tactical tomorrow?"

Tony stuffed his hands into his front pockets. "That we are, Cap. Gonna finish your workout?"

I nodded. It would give me a chance to ponder the implications of my enemy also apparently being a nice person. "Dinner?"

"If I'm free. I've some modifications to work on tonight."

"That you want to get to," I said with a laugh. I could always tell when Tony was getting impatient. He'd start bouncing on his toes followed by pacing. He'd not yet reached the latter, but the former had made it's scheduled appearance.

"You know me so well," he responded with a grin. "You really need to do something about her though. I don't need to be repairing bullet holes because she took a chance while you were out saving the day."

"I'll see what I can do," I told him as he slipped through the door. I picked the box up off the bench in some confusion. Yeah, she did kind of destroy that jacket, but I hadn't asked for or expected her to replace it. So why had she?

I set the box aside, out of the way, and returned to lifting heavy things.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can I buy you a drink, soldier?"

"Actually, the drinks are free," I responded as I turned to see who had spoken. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at who stood next to me. Jade. She wore a deep green dress that marked her as a _patron_ of this event as opposed to sneaking in dressed like the waitstaff that swirled silently and unobtrusively about us. The dress modest compared to some I could see nearby, but no less expensive or couture. However, she'd changed her appearance yet again. Her hair what I'd first thought to be strawberry blonde had in fact been dyed a pale pink counterpointed by green eyes as subtle as the pink of her hair neither of which could conceivably be found in nature.

She had a pair of drinks in her hands, one held out to me.

I had an instant of suspicion then mentally decided what the hell and took it from her. I downed a portion of the amber liquid, my nose giving me a heads up that the contents were bourbon an instant before it hit my tongue. "Working?" I asked, though I really didn't want to know.

Her gaze flicked from my glass to me and back again.

All the blood drained from my face. I snapped my left hand out to coil about her upper arm and pulled her closer to me. "What did you do?" I hissed.

She smirked at me. "Right, like I was going to let this opportunity pass."

A wash of heat rushed through me, causing me to flush over to pink. I had no clue what she'd dosed me with or if it could actually hurt me given my modified metabolism. It wasn't as if Tony had fed me poisons in an effort to determine my response to them.

Not that I had been aware of at least.

Knowing Tony he certainly could have and just not told me.

She watched me for a few more seconds, ones that lasted hours for me as I waited to see whether I would live or die tonight, when she cracked, her eyes lighting up and broad grin taking over her previous serious demeanor.

"Jeez, Rogers, kidding. Always so serious with you."

I let the breath I'd unknowingly been holding escape in a rush as relief flowed through me. I wasn't going to die today. "Shit," I muttered softly as she sipped at her drink, completely unfazed. "You did just imply you'd poisoned me."

She shrugged out of my now nerveless grip. "Just keeping you on your toes, Rogers."

More like giving me a heart attack. After a moment of hesitation, I downed the rest of the drink in my hand, needing it even though I knew it would do little to me. Sometimes being enhanced sucked. She handed me the remainder of hers and I finished it off in one swallow. "You know I can't get drunk, right?"

She shrugged. "Neither can I. Okay, I can, but it takes a _lot_ of effort. And alcohol." A not so subtle reminder that she was something more than a vanilla human. She hooked her arm about mine and rotated to stand beside me, drink laden had waving to encompass the spectacle before swirling before us. "So, what are you shilling today?"

I set the glasses down on the bar as she encouraged me to rejoin the crowds swirling about us. "Uh, it's to raise money for a children's charity."

"And?"

I watched her nodding and smiling to various couples as we strode past them as if she were one of them. Which, of course, she could be. So, I ignored her question, especially since she probably knew the answer and instead asked one of my own. "So, how big a collection of wigs do you have?" Seemingly nonsensical, but could potentially give me some insight into her.

She glanced sideways at me. "I don't."

"We've met three times and you've had a different color every time. Your hairdresser must love you."

She snickered. "You brought your fly rod along did you?"

"If I did?"

She just grinned shaking her head gently. "Nanofibers woven into my hair. Let's me choose pretty much any color I want... or need."

I managed to contain my surprise, if barely. She had access to nanotech on a level similar to SHIELD. That told me more than she might suspect. The people she worked for, this Assassin's Guild, had access to some serious tech and they didn't hesitate to use it. I could only wonder and worry what else they had in their arsenal of tricks. "And you do this often? Tonight maybe?"

She snagged a pair of champagne flutes as a server went by with a tray of them, encouraging me to take one as she sipped on the other while we continued strolling through the crowd. "Tonight definitely."

I stopped dead, shifting about to block her path and leaning in threateningly close to whisper harshly, "Where? Where is the body?" I made certain to keep a calm demeanor and those nearby who cast glances in our direction simply smiled and turned away. Most likely assuming an intimate moment of another type happening between us.

She plastered a similar smile on her face, though her eyes hardened. "Captain Rogers, there is more than one type of assassination. I am quite skilled in all of them."

I had to admit to not be overly fond of that answer. I leaned in closer to speak directly into her ear. "Explain. Now."

She rested her cheek along mine, flashes from cell phones and cameras making certain to capture the moment for all of posterity. "I left my target alive and well, though come the morning they may very well wish otherwise." She brushed her lips across my skin then stepped back, her eyes locked on mine. "Satisfied?"

"Never," I told her though suddenly unsure as to what exactly I meant by that response. I permitted her to shift to my side, once again hooking her arm about mine as she began to walk. I could either follow or permit her to slide away and out of my sight. Given I didn't trust her one whit, I decided to continue the farce of us being together for the duration. Unwilling to just let her wander free and perhaps take advantage of another lucrative target she happened upon. Besides me. "How about a little give tonight, seeing as you know everything about me and I know nothing about you."

She snorted into her glass of expensive bubbly. "Know you? Not at all. Oh, I've read your files, watched every bit of video I can get my hands on. Studied your life, your patterns of behavior. I've read anecdotes, and opinions, and testimonials, but _know_ you?" She shook her head, a wry grin upon her lips. "I've only just begun to learn who you really are. Shame that it seems you are indeed that good man most believe you to be?"

"And why is that?" I asked, trying to cover my discomfiture at her oddly accurate observation of the situation. Granted I knew even less about her since even though she'd dropped a major hint at our last meeting none of us had been able to track down any real information on her. On Jade.

"Because I'm not usually in the habit of killing people who don't truly deserve it."

Well, I guess it might be worth it to know she'd feel some sort of guilt if she actually did the deed. "So I'm still on your list then?"

Her response went unsaid as gunfire erupted from the mezzanine above. Both our heads snapped towards the sound as figures clad in black from head to toe appeared toting automatic weapons.

She frowned even as I went on full alert.

"Don't," she hissed.

I shot her a look that clearly informed her that she should not _ever_ give me orders, but she brushed it off and leaned in close.

"If they realize you are here, everyone becomes a hostage. Wait to make your move."

I grunted in acknowledgment. She had a point. A good point, but I would chafe under the restriction of not fighting back. Right now I was nothing more than another rich guest in a tux.

"Fine," I grouched. Instead, I would observe and plan. Make my move at the opportune moment.

Yes, I had watched Pirates of the Caribbean. Yet another series Sam dragged me into kicking and screaming. The first one most certainly the best of them.

The masked gunmen herded us all into the center of the ballroom, out of direct line of sight of the massive glass windows that could have clued anyone on the outside that something hinky had been going on inside. They obviously had some skill at tactics as most of the moves those I would have made had I been planning a similar heist. Those with automatic weapons stayed to the perimeter while those with handguns tucked neatly away worked their way through the crowd collecting jewelry, purses, and money clips.

Jade nudged me, using a slight shift of her chin to point at one with his back to us, the weapon unsecured at his hip. Her suggestion, not a bad one. I could easily subdue him and secure the weapon for use against the others. I scanned the crowd, assessing my chances of taking him down without drawing undue attention by the others who seemed to be busy terrorizing the patrons over watching for a possible rebellion. She glanced at me and gave me a nod then proceeded to do the last thing I expected.

In Czech she began bellowing at the top of her lungs. My grasp of the language not perfect but I got the gist. Something along the lines of "how dare they" in a put upon tone that would have made my mother proud. She headed straight towards the nearest one on the edge of the crowd, who seemed to be shocked into silence by both her boldness and the fact that he hadn't a clue what she'd said.

My target glanced over in her direction but otherwise didn't react which allowed me to sidle up next to him, slip the handgun out of the holster with one hand while wrapping my other arm about his neck.

He dropped the swag and went for the missing weapon. I adjusted my grip and within seconds lowered him to the floor unconscious. The guests about me, many of whom most certainly recognized me, shifted in to hide me and the now sleeping bad guy. Rich did not mean stupid or faint of heart.

Jade, meanwhile, had gotten into the face of her target who seemed completely incapable of dealing with a rogue guest. At least not until some unseen communication happened and the gun he'd been holding uselessly in his hands shifted to point at her chest.

"Get back," he snarled at her.

She failed utterly at being intimidated and actually walked forward until the gun pressed against her upper chest as she continued to scold him.

I had to resist the urge to snicker. While I had to admit to enjoying the show I knew better than to waste the opportunity she'd handed to me on a proverbial silver platter. With all eyes on her, I made my way through the huddled crowd and eliminated three more before one of them on the mezzanine caught me at it. A single gunshot rang out which was effective in getting my attention.

The three above had all trained their guns at me. I could have taken them out with three easy shots, but risked the civilians next to me being hit in the ensuing crossfire. So with me essentially immobilized, Jade acted. With an efficient move that I caught out of the corner of my eye, she disarmed the man before her and knocked him to the ground his weapon trained at his head.

Chaos ensued.

Screaming, and shouts, and people running in every direction to get away.

I couldn't have planned it better.

I slipped my way through the crowd headed for stairs intending to take out those who currently held the high ground, but she got there first. Three extraordinarily precise shots in a matter of scant seconds _through_ the crowd that shoved and pushed around her and they were out of the game. Dead or injured I couldn't be certain for all of them. One let out an ear-piercing scream that only ended when he either ran out of breath or passed out.

"Rogers," she shouted and I turned to find the gun flying towards me. I caught it easily and spun about as some sixth sense told me someone had come up behind me. I put a bullet dead center of his chest. His body armor absorbing the worst of the hit, but it still put him on his back at this close range. I spotted a huddle of people behind one of the tables and went to them encouraged them to get up. "Let's go." I covered them to the nearest exit. Then turned back to see if the rest of the would-be thieves had scattered and or decided to be brave and go for the bags of belongings that had been collected before we'd broken up the party.

Two had decided to try to salvage the situation, neither of them had much of a chance even though I didn't fire the weapon, simply using it as a blunt instrument this time. A single shot caused me to spin around to see the last man standing aiming his pistol at me, at what had been my back. The bullet had missed only because it had hit Jade instead.

I snarled under my breath and charged. He barely had time to raise the gun again when I hit him, putting him to the floor hard enough that he would not be getting up again for a while.

I rushed back to Jade who had settled to the floor, blood pouring down from her left shoulder. "Shit. What the hell were you thinking?" I peeled off my jacket and folded it up to press against the wound.

She grunted at the pain it surely caused. "No one gets to shoot you, but me," she informed me, tone tart even through the discomfort.

I snorted. I couldn't help myself. "I'm not sure if I should be flattered or concerned." I heard sirens outside, the authorities arriving just in time to clean up the mess.

"Way to show a girl a good time, Rogers." She attempted to stand and with a hand, under her elbow, I got her upright.

"C'mon, let's get you to the EMTs."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"But-"

"No, buts. Not my first rodeo." She handed the jacket back. The now ruined jacket. Even though black the blood had soaked through to the bright red lining. Tony would not be thrilled.

"Jade-"

She gave me a smile, then walked away, towards the side entrance the professionals would not be using immediately. She did something with the bracelet she wore on her right wrist, her hair changing to a dark brown as I watched, the dress shifted to a deep red. An effective way to confuse any descriptions given to the authorities. I wanted to follow her, make certain she would be all right, but my attention got pulled away as armed police charged in to find me holding a bloody jacket in one hand, an automatic weapon on the floor at my feet.

Moans and groans of those still living but in pain informing them better than any words by me that the situation had been resolved with a minimum of bloodshed.

"Captain Rogers, are you all right?" His eyes flicked to the blood staining my hands. Jade's blood.

I nodded. "The only injured in here are the thieves. However, I do not know with any certainty if others got away." I gave him a quick rundown of where they'd fallen and after a few swift orders the wounded were rounded up and treated. The guests of the event had suffered no more than some bruised pride and rattled nerves. Their property to be returned presently.

When the time came I told them about the woman who had assisted me but left her name, fictitious as it might be, unsaid.

And I couldn't really explain why.

. . . . .

"Rogers, you're keeping secrets from us." Tony had shown up for the weekly meeting this time. He didn't always these days. Claiming to be retired, for Pepper's sake, until he got bored or a new idea for a suit or some improvement to FRIDAY or any of a dozen other excuses he made dragged him back to the Compound.

He slapped a pile of tabloids down on the conference table, causing them to slide across it and reveal the variations of the same headline over and over.

 _Captain America's Secret Lover_

"I mean, after all we've been through, I figured I'd be at least the third to know and instead I have to find out through the paparazzi. I'm hurt, Rogers."

Nat picked up one and leaned back in her chair, booted feet coming up to rest on the table as she flipped through the pages. "Let me guess, Jade, given the total lack of an actual picture of her?"

I grabbed one of the rags for myself. I recognized the moment captured for all eternity. I'd pulled her in close to find out who'd she'd murdered, so I understood how the scene could have been misinterpreted. My image crystal clear, her a blacked out form, proving that even still cameras couldn't capture her image. Made sense given these days most were digital and even if you used real film, the instant you uploaded the image to the net she'd vanish from it. It did mean there might be pictures of her out there, hanging on someone's wall, but still useless for a facial rec search.

I'd figured out who she'd gone after that night. A senator, who had been none to clean prior, had suddenly resigned, pictures and records that put him in an extremely compromising position in more ways than one, had come to light and effectively ruining his career aspirations. Oh, he still had money and would never need to work another day in his life, but his hopes for the presidency in the future had been utterly destroyed.

I couldn't argue with the effectiveness. And, yes, character assassination was still an assassination.

Jade remained damned good at her job.

"Dating the enemy, how cliche of you," Tony sneered, but I could see the laughter that lay behind the tone.

I sighed heavily. No matter how I responded he'd use it against me. Denial, even if the truth, to be used to embarrass me. Meant in good fun, but given the utter lack of a love life the comments always seemed to hurt even after all this time.

"How better to exploit her than by getting close," I said softly, tossing the paper aside.

Nat lowered the one in her hands slowly, eyeing me warily. "Steve, I… I'm impressed. Do you think she could be turned?"

"Oh, that would be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it," Tony snarked. "We're supposed to Earth's Mightiest Heros, not a home for wayward bad guys of dubious origins."

"She took a bullet for me, Tony."

Nat snorted. "Probably to protect her payday."

I turned to her. "That's what she said."

She sat up straighter, feet hitting the floor with an audible thud. "But you think different."

"I mean it would've hurt, but it wasn't a kill shot by any means. Tony's guy lines my jackets with kevlar just in case, so…" I shrugged.

"You know that?" Tony asked, actually sounding surprised that I'd figured it out.

I nodded. "He's good, but I can feel the weight difference from the original fittings."

"That doesn't mean she knew, Steve. Given what I've read in the reports and seen on the video, the impact would have incapacitated you for a few seconds at the very least."

"So, you're saying she took that bullet to make certain he could finish the job?" Tony asked sounding confused.

"That's what the evidence is suggesting, yes."

"What is it with bad guys being good people, lately," he huffed out in complaint.

"You'd prefer the clear-cut black and white?" I asked.

"Well, yes, actually."

"So, would I," I told him. "Too bad we live in the real world."

He chuckled in dark amusement. "Just give me a heads up if you decide to recruit her."

"No promises. God knows she might just show up on our doorstep uninvited."

"Well, then we can shoot her," Nat stated. "Hill will be here in five, you joining us, Tony."

He nodded. "That's the plan."

The subject of Jade dropped for the moment, I picked up my tablet to go over the agenda.

. . . . .

Jade seemed to have a fondness for sending me packages out of the blue. This time a thick envelope arrived at the Compound while I'd been on an op chasing down some gun runners who had been selling modified Chitauri tech. No matter how fast SHIELD had moved they'd been unable to prevent some of the alien artifacts from simply disappearing. They had no way of accounting for every single piece or body so souvenirs had been spirited away. Some harmless, some so supremely destructive one had leveled a small town in Europe when a wrong button had been pushed.

Damage Control had taken over the clean up of the Chitauri Invasion as well as Sokovia, so I'd only been minimally involved. Mostly chasing down tech that had escaped and converted to more mortal use.

They were prized on the black market and fetched a small fortune when sold. I just wished we could get ahead of the sales. Tracking down the sellers after the damage had been done maddening, to say the least.

I let the package sit on my desk for two days before even thinking about opening it. I'd needed that much time to decompress after the op. The fact that the sellers would be spending the rest of their natural lives in jail no consolation for the lives lost in one moment of stupidity.

I pulled the inch thick file out of the envelope and stared at the note on top with more than a touch of confusion. The fact that I recognized Jade's handwriting not bothering me as much as it should have I supposed. I'd grown somewhat used to her gifts over the months. Our relationship, though loathe to use that word to describe our interaction up to this point, it was, even I had to admit, accurate. We had a mutual respect and borderline trust if nothing else.

 _A little birdie told me you were looking for this._

 _This_ turned out to be information on Brock Rumlow, former STRIKE team member and Hydra agent. He'd survived a building and helicarrier being dropped on him and somehow, in the chaos that had followed, walked out of the hospital once healed enough, if barely, to do so. We'd been hunting him and the crew he'd built ever since.

Dangerous didn't come close to describing them. Near as we could tell all were former Hydra agents who'd managed to escape the purge and they lived to do nothing more than destroy and do maximum damage with the least effort possible.

And Jade, my assassin and apparent self-appointed Fairy Godmother had given me everything on his next op. If accurate this intel could be our best chance to stop him permanently.

We'd had so little luck finding them, always three steps behind, that I'd seriously pondered siccing her on him. My conscience wouldn't permit it, no matter how deserving he might be of a long distance shot to the head.

No, I would give him the opportunity to face me and do the deed myself. No need to have his blood on anyone's else's hands.

"FRIDAY, who's home? Nat still here?"

" _Yes, Captain. Shall I connect you?"_

"Ask her to meet me in the conference room. Tell her I have intel on Crossbones."

" _Of course, Captain. She's on her way_."

I picked up the file and went to meet her.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This chapter is a little different and covers the time period between the end of CA: CW through the beginning of A: Endgame (based upon the info in the trailers).

 **. . .**

" _Wow, you had a seriously bad week_."

I didn't bother to question how she got the number to the current burner phone in my pocket. It would just give me a headache. We'd been on the run for not quite a month now. Nat had found us a mere ten days after, her betrayal putting her on the most wanted list next to me, Wanda, Sam, and Bucky. Even with T'Challa's change of heart in the end, it did nothing to protect us from Ross, who had decided that Accords were worth more than keeping the Avengers together.

Granted breaking everyone out of the Raft might have upset him a tad. In my opinion, it shouldn't have been so easy to do then.

"Did I?" I questioned, finding the situation freeing in some ways. I could act where the Avengers, what remained of them, would be hamstrung at every turn. "You just calling to make it worse?"

I could hear her sigh across the line. " _Rogers, stop being a self-righteous ass, I am not your enemy._ "

"What, the bounty on my head not worth the money any longer?"

" _Well, there are those who still want you dead, always will be. But you just had to piss off Thunderbolt Ross, didn't you_?"

I frowned deeply, debating hanging up on her but instead said, "Is there a point to this?"

" _So gruff while I'm trying to be generous here_."

I remained silent.

" _With the return of my coin I'm passing it to you_."

I twitched, thankful she couldn't see me. "No, I can't let you do that." I hadn't even realized that the coin had gone AWOL from Peggy's possession after she had passed. Then again, why would I? I hadn't even known Sharon had been her great-niece. The Carter women still impressing me even after eighty years.

She laughed softly. " _It's my marker I can use it how I wish. That said, if you need anything, and I do mean anything, call me. You're one of the good guys, Rogers, some of us are smart enough to know that._ "

I went silent for a long moment, truly choked up on her simple statement. "Steve," I managed, through a throat that had gone dry and tight.

I could practically hear her contemplating my offer. " _Steve, then._ "

"Thank you, Jade."

" _You're welcome. Now go do your damn job and save the world._ "

The line went dead and I tucked the phone back in my pocket, convinced I would never understand the woman who had tried to kill me and then, somewhere along the twisted path we'd met upon, became my friend.

. . . . .

"What did Tony want?" Nat all but sneered. She still harbored a grudge after her decision to let me and Bucky go. Tony had ratted her out, forcing her to go on the run with us.

I snapped the phone shut trying to prevent the shock of what I'd just been told from stopping me. "Bruce."

"What?"

"That was Bruce, not Tony." I waved at the TV. "Turn it on."

Sam grabbed the remote and did so. Every channel covering the attack in NY. "Holy shit, Cap."

We watched in stunned silence for a few minutes. "We need to find Wanda now."

"Why?" Sam questioned.

"Because, according to Bruce, they're after the Infinity Stones." I looked right at Nat.

"Which means Vision, who is most likely with our Scarlet Witch right about now."

I nodded.

"Do we know where she went this time?" Sam questioned.

"No. Damn it. Why does he think we can find her?" Nat complained more than a touch bitterly. I couldn't be sure if it was because I'd mentioned Bruce or because Wanda hadn't been following the rules. Rules we'd all agreed to in order to protect ourselves.

"Steve, I know that look." Sam did indeed. We'd been partners long before going on this little adventure and I considered him more than a friend.

I pulled out my phone. I could only hope she hadn't changed her number since I'd last spoken to her nearly two years ago.

She answered on the second ring. " _Go ahead._ "

"I'm calling in my marker."

" _Well, I didn't think you were calling for a date_ ," she responded snarkily. " _Whatcha need_?"

"I need to find someone and it has to be fast. Like in the next five minutes fast."

" _Okay, who_?"

"Wanda Maximoff. And this is fate of the world serious."

She huffed out a breath. " _Five minutes_."

The phone went dead.

"Well?" Nat questioned, brows knitting in irritation at the seeming rejection of my request.

"We wait and hope she can find them," I told her.

"Mind if we look ourselves, or is that task too much for us?" Sam had kept us from going off the deep end more than a time or two in the long months we'd been together.

"Of course it's not." Nat had her tablet out and running quickly. Probably using facial rec to try and find the distinctive looks of Vision anywhere on the planet.

Wanda had been out of touch for the better part of two weeks at this point. We gave her some leeway, but she put us at a greater risk of being caught every hour she stayed away. No matter how careful there remained the chance someone would recognize her and turn her in for the exorbitant reward money. In some countries to be paid dead or alive.

At exactly the five minute mark, my phone buzzed with a text. _Edinburgh._ Followed by coordinates. I read them off to Sam who plugged them into the computer to reveal a hotel.

Nat set the tablet aside with a sigh of frustration. "At least she's true to her word."

"Always has been," I reminded needlessly. "Suit up. We leave in five."

. . . . .

In the end, it didn't even matter.

Not which side we started on. Not who we worked for. Not who we wanted to be. The world had been changed in an instant and even now, weeks later, we'd only just begun to understand the true damage that had been done.

We went home. Back to the Compound. The few of us who remained. As much in shock as everyone else. In one instant, Thanos had wiped out half the universe and changed life forever for all of us.

We still had no idea if Tony had survived. Nothing had been heard from him since the last contact FRIDAY had received before the ship he'd been on had blasted away from the planet for parts unknown.

We had to figure this out on our own.

And I had no idea where to start.

"We need help." Nat pointed out needlessly.

"No shit," Bruce groused. Him swearing unusual to say the least, but Hulk still refused to make an appearance and no matter how intelligent, the loss of life not something even Bruce's smarts could undo. Hulk's brute strength would be even more useless.

"I know Lang is missing, have we heard from Clint yet?"

Nat shook her head. "He's off the grid. I know he survived, but…" She trailed off. Near as we could tell, his family had been among those who had been lost to the Snap. Though officially called the Decimation, we knew better.

Half of every living thing on Earth, and, if you believed the tales, the universe had vanished. We had no real way of verifying the latter. So we focused on our home. The loss of life had been far beyond the planned intent. Planes had gone down. Trains had derailed. Vehicles had crashed as their drivers turned to dust, causing hundreds of thousands more to die of secondary effects.

And that would be just the beginning. With services offline in many places, lack of food, water, basic services would begin to take its toll. Disease, starvation, thirst, heat and cold would also take its fair share. In the end, there might not be enough of us to rebuild. Thanos might as well have thrown and rock the size of the Tower at the planet, the effects would have been the same. Extinction for the human race.

The world hadn't really begun to assess the real toll. Right now the survivors just tried to keep the world spinning. Several major cities, as well as some countries, had been knocked back to the pre-industrial age. I wanted to help. Felt it deep in my bones the utter _need_ to help, to save as many as I possibly could, but knew my tiny efforts against the juggernaut would be all but useless.

I could do little to assist those who had survived.

However…

"We find out who's left and bring them here. We pool our resources and figure out how to fix this."

"Fix this? Steve, this isn't something you fix." Bruce sounded as if he'd already given up hope.

We needed hope. No matter how faint. How unrealistic it might be.

 _We had to hope._

"You want to just give up and move on?" Nat questioned, head snapping about to aim a steely-eyed gaze at him.

"No, of course not, but this isn't something you fix," he argued, though his tone changed part way through as if some spark had begun to burn in his mind. "Though there's that Time Stone." He shook his head. "It vanished with Thanos."

I shrugged. "So we get to Thanos."

Nat gave me a sour look. "I get the spirit, but it's not like we have space travel here on Earth."

"We have Thor," I reminded her. Our Asgardian God had fallen into a depression along with most of us, but he did have the ability to travel through space. In theory, he could get us to Thanos.

"That's a start," Bruce agreed, with a nod. "But our resources are limited. Who can we call in to help?"

"The Avengers have a list. We go through it. See if any of them are willing to join us." Bruce gave Nat an unhappy look. "We make it clear it's temporary. No Accords, no commitment." She glanced my way and I nodded in agreement.

"I doubt any of them want this any more than we do. We ask. If they say no, we move on." I locked eyes with each of them. "Agreed?"

I got nods from both of them. Then Nat did that sly smile of hers. "You gonna call your girlfriend? She's got access to resources that would be useful to us. And I doubt her employers will complain much given the exigency of the situation."

My first thought went to Sharon, who I hadn't really heard from since I'd gone on the run. Hell, I didn't even know if she had succumbed to the Snap or survived. "Uh, who are you talking about?"

Nat laughed. "Jade."

The zing of adrenaline surprised me. I hadn't even thought about her since I'd called in my marker. Followed by sudden guilt for forgetting about her. "Fuck," I muttered. "I don't even know if she…"

"Only one way to find out," Nat insisted. "And I doubt she'd say no to you."

I frowned, not liking that it was probably true. "I don't know. She's not exactly Team Cap."

Bruce watched all this with a bemused expression on his face. He poked a hand up into the air. "Uh, been out of touch for a few years, what are you talking about?"

Nat grinned. "Steve here made a frenemy out of his assassin."

He swiped a hand across his face. "I'm beginning to think I should have stayed on Sakaar."

"We're glad you're here, Bruce, even if it was for the end of the world." I meant the words. Having the team back together, if only partially, one of the few good things to come out of this mess.

I could see him thinking hard. "Do you consider her an ally?"

I considered for a moment. "Yes," I responded, surprising even myself with the answer.

"Then call her. If nothing else you'll know if she survived."

Nat gave a tiny nod of agreement.

I pulled out my phone and called Jade.

I put the call on speaker, the buzz that had replaced the ring tone seeming to go on forever. Cell systems had been failing across the globe, it could be nothing more than that.

Just as I was about to give up the line went live.

" _Of course you survived_."

"Looks like both of us did. You're on speaker, by the way."

" _That's fine, I've nothing to hide. How many did you lose_?"

"Too many. You?"

" _Far more than the ten percent they're claiming by calling it the Decimation. Definitions, people, they're easy to look up._ "

Nat snorted. "Fifty percent before ancillary deaths occurred."

" _Those numbers are what we've seen as well. We're spread thin_."

"Will you help?" I asked, getting right to the point. For all I knew, she had commitments that she could not walk away from.

" _You have to ask? Of course, I'm in. We're going to fix this, yes. Not just slap some plaster on the wound and hope it heals?_ "

"That's the plan. Not that we have an actual one yet, but…."

" _Good. You'll have my full resources at your disposal. And let me tell you they are extensive even with power grids down_."

"Can you join us here?" Bruce called out, raising his voice unnecessarily to guarantee being heard.

" _I'll be en route within the hour, Dr. Banner."_

The man in question raised his eyebrows at the fact that she knew who had spoken when she most certainly had no way of knowing he'd returned to earth.

"Cap?"

"Just go with it. Jade is always pulling rabbits out of hats," Nat explained, without really explaining anything.

" _Char_ ," Jade corrected. " _My real name's Charlotte, but everyone calls me Char._ "

I smiled. It had only taken the end of the world to earn her trust. "Char-"

" _Don't get all choked up now, Steve, we've got far too much work to do. I'll be at the Compound tomorrow. Make sure to open the front door when I get there, okay_?"

I laughed, the sound both relieved and hysterical to my ears. "Done. Thank you."

" _Don't thank me yet. I've haven't set the price_."

And with that, the line went dead.

"Price?" Bruce asked.

"She's a professional assassin. Full Guild member and everything," Nat explained much to Bruce's confusion and astonishment.

"And she was kidding."

"You sure about that, Steve?"

"Doesn't matter, whatever her price is I'll pay it."

"No matter the cost?" Nat asked, clearly referring to more than just Char.

I looked her right in the eyes. "No matter the cost."

No matter how this ended I could not help but be certain the cost for us would be high.

But to save the world… the universe.

How could I not?

.

.

 _finis_


End file.
